Alabama Softball Sweeps LSU

UofA Media Relations

04/05/2008

Charlotte Morgan finally delivered the knockout blow for the nationally second-ranked Alabama softball team on Saturday afternoon in the opening game of a doubleheader against number 10 LSU with a three-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning for a dramatic 9-8 win. The Crimson Tide then posted an 8-0 five-inning run-rule of the Tigers in the second game to complete the sweep.

Alabama improved to 34-3 on the season and extended their lead in the SEC West with a 14-2 conference mark. The Tigers fall to 29-9 and 8-5 in SEC action.

The Crimson Tide sweep came in front of a school-record 2,461 fans at the Alabama Softball Complex.

"Our team showed incredible fight in that first game," Alabama Coach Patrick Murphy said. "To fall behind three times like that and battle back each time is a real testament to our team. They never gave up and Charlotte (Morgan) came through with that last big home run for the win."

The Tide and Tigers wrap up their three-game series at 1:30 p.m., Sunday at the Alabama Softball Complex.

Alabama refused to let LSU win in the opening game of the doubleheader as the Tide battled back from three-separate, late-inning deficits for a 9-8 win on Morgan's walk-off three-run home run in the bottom of the 10th inning.

Trailing 4-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning, Kellie Eubanks got the Crimson Tide right back in the ball game with a three-run home run to left field. The long ball chased LSU starting pitcher Cody Trahan from the game.

Dani Hofer came on a got the Tigers out of the sixth, but two walks and a bases-loaded hit by pitch tied the game at 4-4, sending the contest into extra innings.

LSU took a 6-4 lead in the top of the ninth inning on Jazz Jackson's two-RBI into left-center field. The Tide got out of the inning without any more damage when Brittany Rogers gunned down Jackson tying to score in Rachel Mitchell's single up the middle.

Lauren Parker tied things up again in the bottom half of the inning as she belted a 3-2 pitch from Hofer over the right-field fence to tie the game at 6-6.

The Tigers came right back in the top of the 10th on Tayl'r Hollis' two-out two-run home run that nicked off the end glove of Dani Woods' glove as she reached over the left-field fence. The home run gave LSU an 8-6 lead and set up Morgan or her 10th inning heroics.

Kelsi Dunne worked a career-high nine innings, throwing 195 pitches and allowing six runs on 11 hits with nine strikeouts, but did not factor into the decision. Chrissy Owens (11-0) got the win out of the bullpen, surrendering two runs on Hollis' 10th-inning home run.

LSU used three pitchers –Trahan, Hofer and Tiffany Garcia – with Trahan taking the loss to fall to 10-3 on the season. Trahan allowed six runs, five earned, on seven hits with two walks and a strikeout. Hofer was charged with three runs on two hits in 2.1 innings.

Dunne surrendered her first hit in 14.1 innings with one out in the top of the second inning as Quinlan Duhon singled to left field. The hit proved costly as Erika Sluss connected for a two-out, two-strike home run over the left-field fence to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead. It was the first run allowed by the Alabama pitching staff in 23.2 innings.

LSU continued to make their runs count as Duhon connected for another two-out home run to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning. Duhon, the Tigers' left fielder, then saved a run this time as she pulled an apparent Morgan home run back into the ballpark in the bottom of the fourth inning.

The two-out hits kept coming for LSU as they went on top 4-0 in the fifth on Dee Dee Henderson's two-strike triple to center field.

Whitney Larsen paced the Tide at the plated with three hits while Rogers chipped in with two and Eubanks drove in four runs. Duhon led the Tigers' 12-hit attack, going 3 for 5 with three runs scored and a home run.

Game 2: Alabama 8, LSU 0 (5 innings)

Alabama overpowered LSU in the nightcap of the doubleheader with an 8-0 win that was halted after five innings to complete the sweep.

Morgan started the second game on the mound and had the Tigers number from the first pitch on. The sophomore allowed just two hits and fanned four to improve to 8-0 on the season. Morgan also went 2 for 3 at the plate with a RBI.

The Crimson Tide jumped out early on Woods' solo home run to left-center field. UA then followed that with a three-run second inning to go on top 4-0. Ashley Holcombe singled and Eubanks then double and both came around to score on Rogers' two-RBI single. Morgan plated the final run of the inning with a RBI groundout.

A big fifth inning blew the game open for the Tide and completed the run rule with four runs on five hits. Holcombe and Parker started the inning with back-to-back singles and with one out Rogers legged out a ground ball to shortstop for a RBI single.

Jordan Praytor then followed with a two-RBI triple down the right-field line. Woods the finished things off with a RBI single into left-center field to score Praytor and close out the game.

Rogers, Woods, Morgan and Holcombe each collected two hits as the Crimson Tide pounded out 12 hits over five innings. Casey Faile (2-1) was tagged with the loss, surrendering four runs on five this with two walks in one-plus inning of work.